(HP)6632A as a current source

[andrewW]

I have used the 6632A DC power supply primarily
as a voltage source programmed over the GPIB.

I now wish to program the instrument to act as
a current source, but attempts hitherto have
failed. I have tried explicitly setting masks
to no avail. The current range I specify is
1 mA to 50 mA with 5 mA increments - which ought
to be well within limits...

I would appreciate pointers as to how to
program the 6632A to act as a current source.


Best regards,

andrewW

[AaronK]

Hi andrewW,
I am not familiar with this power supply or its functionality, so this question might be better answered by someone else, but if your instrument is able to return the current output, you should be able to just have a while loop that will attempt to adjust the voltage to zero in on the requested amperage. There is even a possibility of making it really smart by having it figure out the resistance (because you know v and I) and then jump to the correct V for the desired I.

Hope this helps,
Aaron K.
Application Engineer
National Instruments